CALDWELL COUNTY, N.C. — A man pleaded guilty Monday in a four-year-old murder case involving a father and son in Caldwell County.
Joshua Kelly Riggs, 25, of Glen Alpine, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the October 2011 death of his father, 58-year-old Ned Jones Riggs, in the Lower Creek community of Lenoir.
Joshua Riggs also pleaded guilty to statutory rape involving a female victim who was 15 years old at the time.
Read our past coverage:
Caldwell Co. police arrest man in slaying of father
Riggs was sentenced to 16 to 20 years in prison for the second-degree murder conviction and an additional six to eight years for the statutory rape. Those sentences will run consecutively for a total of 22 to 28 years.
Officers from Lenoir Police Department conducted a welfare check at the residence of Ned Riggs on Oct. 4, 2011, after neighbors reported they had not seen or heard from him in some time.
When they entered the home, with a key provided by the defendant, officers found Ned Riggs dead from stab wounds.
Joshua Riggs, 21 years old at the time of the crime, admitted in an interview with detectives that he killed his father with a knife.
Further investigation revealed the two may have been arguing over custody of a child Joshua Riggs thought his girlfriend at the time was carrying.
The son became enraged and assaulted his father, stabbing him multiple times and slitting his throat, officials said.
Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:
- UNC Charlotte student dies after jump from Avery Co. waterfall
- Volunteers repaint elderly man's home following teens' hurtful remarks
- Sheriff: Brothers, 3 and 4, were shot multiple times by father
- FORECAST: Rain chances continue into Tuesday
- MUST SEE: Panthers QB Newton involved in training camp scuffle
WSOC
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
